Wednesday, 8 June 2016

Journal Provençal Chapitre Quartre

Our final full day in Provence and the weather was set fair for the morning but the afternoon looked less than promising. We elected to don our tourist hats and head for Sillans where a short walk would take us to a waterfall. In the event, the waterfall was more impressive than we had expected and the town of Sillans proved be a place eminently suited to wandering around and just soaking up the ambiance.

A brief interlude around the villa pool in the afternoon was curtailed by some really heavy showers accompanied by lots of thunder and lightning. When it rains around here, it certainly rains. But it's short and sharp stuff and it doesn't take long to dissipate.

We had our final meal out at a nearby auberge and it was probably the best of our stay. An idyllic setting amongst the vineyards, with the local wine on tap for those wanted it. As an aide memoire to myself and those who were there, I'll just mention that our journey to the restaurant has already passed into our folklore and will be long remembered - and related when the time suits and the embarrassment will be maximum! But not now.

All good things come to an end and, after we bade farewell to our gracious hostess, we spent our last morning in nearby Lorgues as we made our way back to Nice airport. Lorges was yet another mediaeval town that was just right for pottering around. Narrow streets, intriguing squares, unusual architecture and obscure parking regulations (but that's another story to be told around the campfire one day). As ever, a few photographs follow just to give a flavour of our perambulations. Maybe I'll supplement these with something on a floral theme sometime.

And so ends our three weeks of travels. Where do we go next? To somewhere totally different in July - the Outer Hebrides as we visit Lewis and Harris. This could be something really special as we have booked a day visit to St Kilda, a place we've both wanted to visit for a long time. Getting there could be quite an adventure in itself. Then, in September, we are off to Majorca for a week or so but more of that when it happens.

The waterfall at Sillans, with its translucent pool at the bottom. At 120 feet, it was much higher than we were expecting and worth the walk.

Sillans sunny street scene.

Nothing out of the ordinary but nevertheless very attractive, a Speckled Wood butterfly. Common the UK and common across Europe.

A worker in metal advertising their work and, if this is a true representation of what they can do, they are patently very skilled.

Once upon a time, every village had its central washing facility, fed by a spring or, as in this case, by a takeoff from a nearby river.

Moving now to Lorgues and another craftsman advertising their skills, this time with a sewing machine that has seen better days. Mmm, I wonder what that says about them.

Access somewhat limited?

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the daftest of them all?

One fountain amongst many in the old part of Lorgues.

Ditto for this alley. An area for unplanned pottering.

I've been unable to find out anything about Lionel Accarisio who was 18 when he died/was killed in 1944. But it is reasonable to think that his death was war related given what was going on in this region at the time. Was he executed for an act of resistance? Is there a story here of great bravery?

Liberte. Egalite. Fraternite. Do modern French citizens still subscribe to the founding principles of their democracy?

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Observations from Cornwall and elsewhere. No particular themes. No hobby-horses pursued. No axes to grind. No topic off-limits. Just personal views on whatever is bugging me at the time! I cannot guarantee this blog to be a rant-free zone or even a bastion of commonsense!